Great Neck, New York
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Great Neck is a region contained within Nassau County, New York, on
Long Island Long Island is a densely populated continental island in southeastern New York (state), New York state, extending into the Atlantic Ocean. It constitutes a significant share of the New York metropolitan area in both population and land are ...
, which covers a peninsula on the North Shore and includes nine incorporated villages, among them Great Neck, Great Neck Estates, Great Neck Plaza, Kings Point, and Russell Gardens, and a number of unincorporated areas, as well as an area south of the peninsula near Lake Success, North New Hyde Park, and the border territory of
Queens Queens is the largest by area of the Boroughs of New York City, five boroughs of New York City, coextensive with Queens County, in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. Located near the western end of Long Island, it is bordered by the ...
. The incorporated village of Great Neck had a population of 9,989 at the 2010 census, while the larger Great Neck area comprises a residential community of some 40,000 people in nine villages and
hamlet ''The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark'', often shortened to ''Hamlet'' (), is a Shakespearean tragedy, tragedy written by William Shakespeare sometime between 1599 and 1601. It is Shakespeare's longest play. Set in Denmark, the play (the ...
s in the town of North Hempstead, of which Great Neck is the northwestern quadrant. Great Neck has five ZIP Codes (11020–11024), which are united by a park district, a library district, and a school district. The hamlets are
census-designated place A census-designated place (CDP) is a Place (United States Census Bureau), concentration of population defined by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes only. CDPs have been used in each decennial census since 1980 as the counte ...
s that consolidate various unincorporated areas. They are statistical entities and are not recognized locally. However, there are locally recognized neighborhoods within the hamlet areas, such as Harbor Hills, Saddle Rock Estates, University Gardens, and
Manhasset Manhasset is an affluent hamlet and census-designated place (CDP) in Nassau County, on the North Shore of Long Island, in New York, United States. It is considered the anchor community of the Greater Manhasset area. The population was 8,176 ...
. The Manhasset neighborhood (in ZIP Code 11030) is not considered part of Great Neck. The part of the Hamlet of Manhasset that is considered part of Great Neck includes the Great Neck Manor neighborhood. Great Neck Gardens is featured on many maps as a name of one such hamlet, even as the name is seldom used by local residents.


History


Pre-colonization and colonization

Before the Dutch and English settlers arrived on the peninsula of Great Neck in the 17th century, the Mattinecock Native Americans originally inhabited the shorelines of the peninsula. It was not until 1681 when the European settlers held the first town meeting. The Mattinecock or
Metoac Metoac is an erroneous term used by some to group together the Munsee-speaking Lenape (west), Quiripi-speaking Unquachog (center) and Pequot-speaking Montaukett (east) American Indians on what is now Long Island in New York state. The ter ...
used Long Island Sound as a way to both fish and trade with others. They referred to present-day Great Neck as
Menhaden Menhaden, also known as mossbunker, bunker, and "the most important fish in the sea", are forage fish of the genera ''Brevoortia'' and ''Ethmidium'', two genera of marine fish in the order Clupeiformes. ''Menhaden'' is a blend of ''poghaden'' ...
-Ock. It is speculated that they chose this name because of the large amount of fish in the area. With the arrival of the European settlers on the peninsula in the 1640s, Menhaden-Ock evolved into Madnan's Neck. By 1670, Madnan's Neck had further evolved into the current name Great Neck. Local legend has it that the name "Madnan's Neck" is named after Anne (or Nan) Hutchinson. It is said that
Anne Hutchinson Anne Hutchinson (; July 1591 – August 1643) was an English-born religious figure who was an important participant in the Antinomian Controversy which shook the infant Massachusetts Bay Colony from 1636 to 1638. Her strong religious formal d ...
tried to take over what is considered present-day Kings Point upon her arrival to the peninsula. However, Anne Hutchinson could not actually procure a land grant or deed for the land that she desired. Her temper supposedly earned her the nickname Mad Nan. On November 18, 1643, the
Hempstead Plains The Hempstead Plains is a region of central Long Island, in what is now Nassau County, New York, Nassau County, in New York State. It was once an open expanse of native grassland estimated to once extend to about . It was separated from the Nort ...
, which included the peninsula of Great Neck, was sold to the Reverend Robert Fordham and John Carman. In the beginning, the Mattinecock Indians and the European settlers cooperated and coexisted very well together. The Mattinecock would teach the settlers their knowledge of the land in exchange for new technology from the settlers. The settlers even started using the Indian currency of wampum. However, this peaceful coexistence would not last forever, and the relationship between the Mattinecock and the settlers quickly began to deteriorate. Settlers often began complaining of unfriendly Mattinecock behavior, claiming that the natives would damage their homes and hurt their cattle. On November 18, 1659, the settlers passed a law that forced the natives to pay damages for white property that they had damaged. The problem between the settlers and the Mattinecock natives over land and property kept growing and finally came to a head in 1684. A commission of settlers had been elected and given the power to appease the Mattinecock and their leader Tackapousha. Tackapousha was eventually paid off, and received 120 pounds sterling for his land. Tackapousha eventually died, and his body still rests at the Lakeville AME Zion Church's cemetery on Community Drive, across the street from
North Shore University Hospital North Shore University Hospital (formerly known as North Shore Hospital) is a part of Northwell Health. It is one of two primary teaching hospitals for the Zucker School of Medicine (along with LIJ), offering residency programs, postgraduate t ...
. The Lakeville AME Zion Church is one of the oldest churches in New York State. The very first European to look upon the Long Island peninsula of Great Neck was Captain Adrian Block of the Great
Dutch West India Company The Dutch West India Company () was a Dutch chartered company that was founded in 1621 and went defunct in 1792. Among its founders were Reynier Pauw, Willem Usselincx (1567–1647), and Jessé de Forest (1576–1624). On 3 June 1621, it was gra ...
in 1614, when his men were stranded on the southern tip of
Manhattan Island Manhattan ( ) is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the five boroughs of New York City. Coextensive with New York County, Manhattan is the smallest county by area in the U.S. state of New York. Located almost entire ...
, because their ship ''Tiger'' sank shortly after its landing. The captain and his men then built a ship called the '' Onrust'' out of timber and salvaged parts from ''Tiger''. When the sailors set sail again, they sailed around Long Island, mapping it as they passed. Later, the Reverend Robert Fordham and John Carman first came to Great Neck from New Haven by use of Long Island Sound. During this trip, the deal with Chief Tackapousha was reached. One year later, on November 16 William Kieft granted a special
land patent A land patent is a form of letters patent assigning official ownership of a particular tract of land that has gone through various legally-prescribed processes like surveying and documentation, followed by the letter's signing, sealing, and publi ...
for the territory, and permission for the community's incorporation. William Kieft was the director general of
New Netherland New Netherland () was a colony of the Dutch Republic located on the East Coast of what is now the United States. The claimed territories extended from the Delmarva Peninsula to Cape Cod. Settlements were established in what became the states ...
, and the patent that he granted gave the people of the peninsula the right to religious self-determination. The new community's political independence was so great that only town officials who were in any way elected by the Dutch government or its magistrates, first nominated by a town meeting. The Dutch controlled Long Island from 1642 to 1664. Under Dutch rule, constables, local officers, nominated magistrates, and overseers were elected by town meetings and passed legislation. On December 21, 1656,
Peter Stuyvesant Peter Stuyvesant ( – August 1672)Mooney, James E. "Stuyvesant, Peter" in p.1256 was a Dutch colonial administrator who served as the Directors of New Netherland, director-general of New Netherland from 1647 to 1664, when the colony was pro ...
, who was the director general of New Netherland after William Kieft, appointed the first two magistrates of Hempstead. These two men were John Seaman and Richard Guildersleeve. The local government of Madnan's Neck at the time was extremely active in passing new laws. A liquor tax was imposed, and half of that tax paid for the town's supply of ammunition, with the other half going to education. A religious code of ethics was also published by the local government, which included conduct on holidays for the entire town. There were also punishments for poor conduct, which included fines, corporal punishment, and banishment. The first reported instance of sexual misconduct in the peninsula's history was recorded on October 3, 1659, against Henry Linnington. After the threat of being banished, Linnington was ultimately allowed to stay, on the condition that he reformed his behavior. Around this time, the boundaries of Madnan's Neck and Hempstead grew increasingly apart. As the population of Madnan's Neck grew, independence from Hempstead became increasingly realistic. In 1672, Robert Jackson, a well-known man in the community of Madnan's Neck, beat out Simon Seryon in the election for constable of Hempstead by a count of 39 to 31. However, Seryon was still declared the victor, due to governmental corruption and back door bribery. Incensed by the fixed election and obviously staged result, residents of Madnan's Neck petitioned the governor for separation, but their request was denied. Finally, on June 9, 1687, the order went out from the government of the New Netherland that Madnan's Neck be "separate, hereafter from Hempstead". The town was then given its own marshal, and its own constable. The first constable of Madnan's Neck was a man named Edward Hare, who helped aid in the movement for Madnan's Neck's independence. Over time, Madnan's Neck grew increasingly politically independent. Throughout the next few years, Madnan's Neck depended even less on Hempstead. Few communities of Madnan's Neck's size had their own highway, grist mill, minister, constable, and marshal, yet Madnan's Neck, emerged from Hempstead as a fully functioning town.


After settlement

During the late 19th century, Great Neck was the rail head of the New York and Flushing Railroad, and began the process of converting from a farm village into a
commuter town A commuter town is a populated area that is primarily residential rather than commercial or industrial. Routine travel from home to work and back is called commuting, which is where the term comes from. A commuter town may be called by many o ...
. In the 1920s, Great Neck—in particular the Village of Kings Point—provided a backdrop to F. Scott Fitzgerald's novel ''
The Great Gatsby ''The Great Gatsby'' () is a 1925 novel by American writer F. Scott Fitzgerald. Set in the Jazz Age on Long Island, near New York City, the novel depicts first-person narrator Nick Carraway's interactions with Jay Gatsby, a mysterious mi ...
''. It was thinly disguised as "West Egg," in counterpoint to Manor Haven/Sands Point, which was the inspiration for the more posh "East Egg" (the next peninsula over on
Long Island Sound Long Island Sound is a sound (geography), marine sound and tidal estuary of the Atlantic Ocean. It lies predominantly between the U.S. state of Connecticut to the north and Long Island in New York (state), New York to the south. From west to east, ...
), Great Neck symbolized the decadence of the
Roaring Twenties The Roaring Twenties, sometimes stylized as Roaring '20s, refers to the 1920s decade in music and fashion, as it happened in Western world, Western society and Western culture. It was a period of economic prosperity with a distinctive cultura ...
as it extended out from New York City to then-remote
suburbs A suburb (more broadly suburban area) is an area within a metropolitan area. They are oftentimes where most of a metropolitan areas jobs are located with some being predominantly residential. They can either be denser or less densely populated ...
. ''The Great Gatsby's'' themes and characters reflected the real-world transformation that Great Neck was experiencing at the time, as show-business personalities like
Eddie Cantor Eddie Cantor (born Isidore Itzkowitz; January 31, 1892 – October 10, 1964) was an American comedian, actor, dancer, singer, songwriter, film producer, screenwriter and author. Cantor was one of the prominent entertainers of his era. Some of h ...
, Sid Caesar, and the
Marx Brothers The Marx Brothers were an American family comedy act known for their anarchic humor, rapid-fire wordplay, and visual gags. They achieved success in vaudeville, on Broadway, and in 14 motion pictures. The core group consisted of brothers Chi ...
bought homes in the hamlet and eventually established it as a haven for
Jewish Americans American Jews (; ) or Jewish Americans are Americans, American citizens who are Jews, Jewish, whether by Jewish culture, culture, ethnicity, or Judaism, religion. According to a 2020 poll conducted by Pew Research, approximately two thirds of Am ...
formerly of
Brooklyn Brooklyn is a Boroughs of New York City, borough of New York City located at the westernmost end of Long Island in the New York (state), State of New York. Formerly an independent city, the borough is coextensive with Kings County, one of twelv ...
and
the Bronx The Bronx ( ) is the northernmost of the five Boroughs of New York City, boroughs of New York City, coextensive with Bronx County, in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. It shares a land border with Westchester County, New York, West ...
. In 1943, the
United States Merchant Marine Academy The United States Merchant Marine Academy (USMMA or Kings Point) is a United States service academies, United States service academy in Kings Point, New York. It trains its midshipman, midshipmen (as students at the academy are called) to serv ...
was founded at the former location of Walter P. Chrysler's palatial estate in Kings Point, as the only higher education institution in Great Neck. The end of
World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
saw a tremendous migration of
Ashkenazi Jews Ashkenazi Jews ( ; also known as Ashkenazic Jews or Ashkenazim) form a distinct subgroup of the Jewish diaspora, that emerged in the Holy Roman Empire around the end of the first millennium CE. They traditionally speak Yiddish, a language ...
from the cramped quarters to the burgeoning suburb. They founded many synagogues and community groups and pushed for stringent educational policies in the town's public schools; it is portrayed in Jay Cantor's 2003 novel ''Great Neck,'' with recently installed residents of all stripes trying to secure the brightest futures for their children. During the construction of the current
headquarters of the United Nations , image = Midtown Manhattan Skyline 004 (cropped).jpg , image_size = 275px , caption = View of the complex from Long Island City in 2021; from left to right: the Secretariat, Conference, and General Assembly buil ...
from 1947 through 1952, the United Nations was temporarily headquartered at the
Sperry Corporation Sperry Corporation was a major American equipment and electronics company whose existence spanned more than seven decades of the 20th century. Sperry ceased to exist in 1986 following a prolonged hostile takeover bid engineered by Burroughs ...
facility in the Great Neck community of Lake Success due to its proximity to
Manhattan Manhattan ( ) is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the Boroughs of New York City, five boroughs of New York City. Coextensive with New York County, Manhattan is the County statistics of the United States#Smallest, larg ...
.
Eleanor Roosevelt Anna Eleanor Roosevelt ( ; October 11, 1884November 7, 1962) was an American political figure, diplomat, and activist. She was the longest-serving First Lady of the United States, first lady of the United States, during her husband Franklin D ...
headed the
UN Commission on Human Rights The United Nations Commission on Human Rights (UNCHR) was a functional commission within the overall framework of the United Nations from 1946 until it was replaced by the United Nations Human Rights Council in 2006. It was a subsidiary body of th ...
at this location. During the 1960s, many residents frequented the local pool and ice-skating complex, Parkwood, after which its patronage dramatically increased following years of decline as homeowners built their own in-ground pools. After the
September 11 attacks The September 11 attacks, also known as 9/11, were four coordinated Islamist terrorist suicide attacks by al-Qaeda against the United States in 2001. Nineteen terrorists hijacked four commercial airliners, crashing the first two into ...
, the ice-skating rink was renamed in honor of Andrew Stergiopoulos, a local resident who was killed in the attack. It was extensively renovated in 2007 and 2008. Beginning in the 1980s, an influx of
Persian Jews Iranian Jews, (; ) also Persian Jews ( ) or Parsim, constitute one of the oldest communities of the Jewish diaspora. Dating back to the History of ancient Israel and Judah, biblical era, they originate from the Jews who relocated to Iran (his ...
who left their country fleeing persecution from the 1979 Islamic Revolution settled in Great Neck. Beginning in the late 1990s a number of
East Asia East Asia is a geocultural region of Asia. It includes China, Japan, Mongolia, North Korea, South Korea, and Taiwan, plus two special administrative regions of China, Hong Kong and Macau. The economies of Economy of China, China, Economy of Ja ...
ns, predominantly Chinese and Korean, have been moving into the area. The high quality public school education is a key attractor for many of those moving in (the GNPS school district has been ranked by Niche as a #1 public school district in New York in previous years and some of its schools have received Blue Ribbons).


List of communities

Great Neck consists of 9 incorporated villages and 6 unincorporated hamlets: * Village of Great Neck * Great Neck Estates * Great Neck Plaza *
Kensington Kensington is an area of London in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, around west of Central London. The district's commercial heart is Kensington High Street, running on an east–west axis. The north-east is taken up by Kensingt ...
* Kings Point * Lake Success * Russell Gardens * Saddle Rock * Thomaston * Great Neck Gardens * Harbor Hills * Saddle Rock Estates * University Gardens The westernmost portion of the Hamlet of
Manhasset Manhasset is an affluent hamlet and census-designated place (CDP) in Nassau County, on the North Shore of Long Island, in New York, United States. It is considered the anchor community of the Greater Manhasset area. The population was 8,176 ...
lies between the villages of Thomaston and Lake Success and has Great Neck postal codes (1102x).


Transportation

Great Neck is a 30 to 40-minute commute from
Manhattan Manhattan ( ) is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the Boroughs of New York City, five boroughs of New York City. Coextensive with New York County, Manhattan is the County statistics of the United States#Smallest, larg ...
's Penn Station on the Port Washington Branch of the
Long Island Rail Road The Long Island Rail Road , or LIRR, is a Rail transport, railroad in the southeastern part of the U.S. state of New York (state), New York, stretching from Manhattan to the eastern tip of Suffolk County, New York, Suffolk County on Long Islan ...
via the Great Neck station. Some peak LIRR trains terminate at the station. Nassau Inter-County Express connects the villages to the train station and offers service to several destinations in Nassau County and
Queens Queens is the largest by area of the Boroughs of New York City, five boroughs of New York City, coextensive with Queens County, in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. Located near the western end of Long Island, it is bordered by the ...
from the station, while the southern part of the Great Neck area can also directly access the Q46 New York City Bus on Union Turnpike at the border with Glen Oaks and the Q12 bus on
Northern Boulevard New York State Route 25A (NY 25A) is a state highway on Long Island in New York (state), New York, United States. It serves as the main east–west route for most of the North Shore (Long Island), North Shore of Long Island, running ...
at the border with Little Neck.


Emergency services

The Village of Great Neck is protected by the
Nassau County Police Department The Nassau County Police Department (also referred to as the Nassau Police & Nassau County Police and abbreviated as NCPD) is the law enforcement agency of Nassau County, New York, Nassau County, on Long Island, New York (state), New York, Unit ...
's Sixth Precinct, as is the rest of Great Neck except for the villages of Great Neck Estates, Kings Point, Kensington and Lake Success. Those villages have their own police departments, which are reinforced by the NCPD during any criminal activity, event, or other incident that falls outside the realm of "routine." Great Neck is served by three all-volunteer fire departments. Th
Great Neck Alert Fire Company
was founded in 1901
The Great Neck Vigilant Fire Company
was founded in 1904. Company 3 of th
Manhasset-Lakeville Fire Department
was founded in 1912, and Company 4 of the M-LFD was founded in 1926. Alert covers the northern part of the peninsula, including the Village of Great Neck, providing fire and heavy rescue response. Alert responds to certain medical emergencies with its heavy rescue truck and provides care before the arrival of an ambulance. Vigilant serves the middle portion of Great Neck with fire and heavy rescue response. Th
Vigilant Fire Company
also provides emergency ambulance services to both its own territory and Alert's. M-LFD Co. 3 and 4 serve the southern part of Great Neck, including the villages of Thomaston and Lake Success. These two companies offer fire and rescue services. The M-LFD Ambulance Unit operates two ambulances out of Co. 3's firehouse. In addition, the Nassau County Police Emergency Ambulance Bureau also provides EMS service to the Manhasset-Lakeville fire district.


Parks and recreation

The Parkwood Pool and skating rink complex, the Village Green and sections of Kings Point Park are managed by the Great Neck Park District. The Park District serves all Great Neck except the villages of Saddle Rock, Great Neck Estates, and Lake Success, and the neighborhoods (not hamlets) of Harbor Hills and University Gardens. Areas not served by the Great Neck Park District have their own facilities for their residents, run by the villages or civic associations. Parkwood can also provide tennis lessons and skating lessons. During the summer it is a part of the Great Neck day camp program, where young campers use the swimming pool facilities.


Economy

Great Neck has consistently been recognized as one of the most affluent towns both regionally and nationally.


Culture and tourism

Great Neck serves primarily as a "bedroom" community for New York City. As such, it contains few "touristy" attractions. Notable exceptions include: * Saddle Rock Grist Mill, a historical grain-mill powered by tides; known to have been in operation as early as the 18th century. *
United States Merchant Marine Academy The United States Merchant Marine Academy (USMMA or Kings Point) is a United States service academies, United States service academy in Kings Point, New York. It trains its midshipman, midshipmen (as students at the academy are called) to serv ...
in Kings Point * Steppingstone Park, formerly part of the Walter P. Chrysler estate in Kings Point. Offers summer concerts every Saturday night. * Kings Point Park * Great Neck Arts Center * Great Neck Plaza Shopping District * Great Neck Plaza Promenade Nights – Several summer nights in Great Neck's downtown area, streets are closed off and local restaurants bring seating outdoors for a festive evening of dining, live music, and entertainment. * ''Handful of Keys'', a trompe l'oeil (fool the eye) mural painted by William Cochran located in Great Neck Plaza. * F. Scott Fitzgerald's House was loosely referred to in his novel, ''
The Great Gatsby ''The Great Gatsby'' () is a 1925 novel by American writer F. Scott Fitzgerald. Set in the Jazz Age on Long Island, near New York City, the novel depicts first-person narrator Nick Carraway's interactions with Jay Gatsby, a mysterious mi ...
''. "West Egg" referred to Kings Point, a prosperous neighborhood in the northern part of Great Neck, once known for its prevalence of "new money."


Education

Great Neck Library is the
public library A public library is a library, most often a lending library, that is accessible by the general public and is usually funded from public sources, such as taxes. It is operated by librarians and library paraprofessionals, who are also Civil servic ...
system serving the community of Great Neck. There are four branches, located throughout the Great Neck area: Main, Station, Parkville, and Lakeville. The Great Neck Union Free School District is the
school district A school district is a special-purpose district that operates local public Primary school, primary or Secondary school, secondary schools or both in various countries. It is not to be confused with an attendance zone, which is within a school dis ...
of most of Great Neck. It also includes parts of North New Hyde Park and Manhasset Hills. A small part of eastern Great Neck around Northern Boulevard is part of the Manhasset Union Free School District, whose students attend Manhasset High School. About 6,200 students, grades K-12, attend the Great Neck Public Schools. There are three high schools: Great Neck North, Great Neck South, and Village (a small alternative high school). There is a district-wide alternative high school program, SEAL Academy (Supportive Environment for All Learners). There are also two middle schools and four elementary schools. Students have diverse backgrounds; they come from more than 40 countries and represent a broad socioeconomic range. Colleges: *
United States Merchant Marine Academy The United States Merchant Marine Academy (USMMA or Kings Point) is a United States service academies, United States service academy in Kings Point, New York. It trains its midshipman, midshipmen (as students at the academy are called) to serv ...
High schools: * Great Neck North High School * Great Neck South High School * Great Neck Village High School (Alternative high school) Middle schools: * Great Neck North Middle School * Great Neck South Middle School Elementary schools: * E. M. Baker Elementary School * John F. Kennedy Elementary School * Lakeville Elementary School * Saddle Rock Elementary School Nursery school: * Parkville School Adult centers: * Cumberland * Clover Drive Great Neck's two major high schools are rated among the top in the country. Its students have been frequent finalists in the
Intel Science Talent Search The Regeneron Science Talent Search, known for its first 57 years as the Westinghouse Science Talent Search, and then as the Intel Science Talent Search (Intel STS) from 1998 through 2016, is a research-based science fair, science competition in ...
, and Great Neck has produced several Intel STS winners since 1999. The district has produced several high school winners of the international First Step to the Nobel Prize in Physics, awarded in Poland. In the 2008 ''
Newsweek ''Newsweek'' is an American weekly news magazine based in New York City. Founded as a weekly print magazine in 1933, it was widely distributed during the 20th century and has had many notable editors-in-chief. It is currently co-owned by Dev P ...
'' magazine's annual list of the top 1,300 American
high school A secondary school, high school, or senior school, is an institution that provides secondary education. Some secondary schools provide both ''lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper secondary education'' (ages 14 to 18), i.e., ...
s, Great Neck South was ranked 49th, and Great Neck North was ranked 68th. Private schools in the region include North Shore Hebrew Academy and Silverstein Hebrew Academy. At one time, the Japanese Weekend School of New York (ニューヨーク補習授業校) conducted lessons in Great Neck.


Notable people

* Dan Ahdoot, comedian *
David Baltimore David Baltimore (born March 7, 1938) is an American biologist, university administrator, and 1975 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, Nobel laureate in Physiology or Medicine. He is a professor of biology at the California Institute of Tech ...
(born 1938), Nobel Prize-winning biologist and former president of Caltech (former resident and high school graduate).Kerr, Kathleen
"They Began Here: Around the country, leading thinkers in health and science can trace their roots to Long Island"
, ''
Newsday ''Newsday'' is a daily newspaper in the United States primarily serving Nassau and Suffolk counties on Long Island, although it is also sold throughout the New York metropolitan area. The slogan of the newspaper is "Newsday, Your Eye on LI" ...
'', July 16, 2008. Retrieved September 17, 2008.
* Nikki Blonsky (born 1988), actress who starred as Tracy Turnblad in the 2007 version of '' Hairspray'' and in '' Harold'', filmed in Great Neck North High School and Middle School. * Enea Bossi Sr. (1888–1963),
Italian-American Italian Americans () are Americans who have full or partial Italians, Italian ancestry. The largest concentrations of Italian Americans are in the urban Northeastern United States, Northeast and industrial Midwestern United States, Midwestern ...
engineer and aviation pioneer * Oscar Brand (1920–2016), folk singer and songwriter (resident) *
Donald Brian Donald Brian (February 17, 1877 – December 22, 1948) was an actor, dancer and singer born in St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, St. John's, Colony of Newfoundland, Newfoundland (now Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada). In 1907, he sta ...
(1877–1948), Broadway actor, singer, and dancer *
Fanny Brice Fania Borach (October 29, 1891 – May 29, 1951), known professionally as Fanny Brice or Fannie Brice, was an American comedian, Illustrated Songs, illustrated song model, singer, and actress who made many stage, radio, and film appearances. Sh ...
(1891–1951), comedian, entertainer, theater and film actress, ''Funny Girl'' * Carol Bruce (1919–2007), singer and theater, film and television actress *
Algis Budrys Algirdas Jonas "Algis" Budrys (January 9, 1931 – June 9, 2008) was a Lithuanian-American science fiction author, copy editing, editor and critic. He was also known under the pen names Frank Mason, Alger Rome in collaboration with Jerome ...
(1931–2008), science-fiction author and editor (former resident) * Sid Caesar (1922–2014), television pioneer known for '' Your Show of Shows'' (resident) * Barrie Chase, dancer and actress *
Maurice Chevalier Maurice Auguste Chevalier (; 12 September 1888 – 1 January 1972) was a French singer, actor, and entertainer. He is best known for his signature songs, including " Livin' In The Sunlight", " Valentine", " Louise", " Mimi", and " Thank Heaven f ...
(1888–1972), actor and entertainer (resident) *
Walter Chrysler Walter Percy Chrysler (April 2, 1875 – August 18, 1940) was an American industrial pioneer in the automotive industry, automotive industry executive, and the founder and namesake of American Chrysler, Chrysler Corporation. Childhood Chrysler ...
(1875–1940), automobile pioneer, founder of the
Chrysler Corporation FCA US, LLC, doing business as Stellantis North America and known historically as Chrysler ( ), is one of the " Big Three" automobile manufacturers in the United States, headquartered in Auburn Hills, Michigan. It is the American subsidiary of ...
*
Mary L. Cleave Mary Louise Cleave (February 5, 1947 – November 27, 2023) was an American engineer and NASA astronaut. She also served from 2005 to 2007 as NASA Associate Administrator for the Science Mission Directorate. Early life Cleave was born in Southam ...
(born 1947),
Space Shuttle The Space Shuttle is a retired, partially reusable launch system, reusable low Earth orbital spacecraft system operated from 1981 to 2011 by the U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) as part of the Space Shuttle program. ...
astronaut An astronaut (from the Ancient Greek (), meaning 'star', and (), meaning 'sailor') is a person trained, equipped, and deployed by a List of human spaceflight programs, human spaceflight program to serve as a commander or crew member of a spa ...
. * George M. Cohan (1878–1942), entertainer, playwright, composer, lyricist, actor, singer, dancer, director, and producer (resident) * Arthur G. Cohen (1930–2014), businessman and real estate developer * Steven A. Cohen, hedge fund manager ( SAC Capital), billionaire and owner of the
New York Mets The New York Mets are an American professional baseball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of Queens. The Mets compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National ...
(resident) * Kenneth Cole, designer (attended school in Great Neck) *
Francis Ford Coppola Francis Ford Coppola ( ; born April 7, 1939) is an American filmmaker. He is considered one of the leading figures of the New Hollywood and one of the greatest filmmakers of all time. List of awards and nominations received by Francis Ford Coppo ...
, film director (graduated from Great Neck High School North) * Andrew W. Cordier,
Columbia University Columbia University in the City of New York, commonly referred to as Columbia University, is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Churc ...
president (former resident) * Anthony Cumia, latter half of Opie and Anthony (resident) * R. J. Cutler (born 1962), filmmaker, documentarian, television producer and theater director *
Thomas DiNapoli Thomas Peter DiNapoli (born February 10, 1954) is an American politician serving as the 54th and current New York State Comptroller since 2007. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, he was appointed by a bipartisan m ...
, New York State Comptroller (resident) * Gail Dolgin (1945–2010), filmmaker * Tad Dorgan (1877–1929), cartoonist * Shay Doron, first Israeli to play in the
Women's National Basketball Association The Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) is a women's professional basketball league in the United States. The league comprises 13 teams (scheduled to expand to 15 in 2026). The WNBA is headquartered in Midtown Manhattan. The WNBA w ...
(
New York Liberty The New York Liberty are an American professional basketball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of Brooklyn. The Liberty compete in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) as a member of the Eastern Confer ...
) *
Will Durant William James Durant (; November 5, 1885 – November 7, 1981) was an American historian and philosopher, best known for his eleven-volume work, '' The Story of Civilization'', which contains and details the history of Eastern and Western civil ...
(1885–1981), historian. Author of the multi-volume outline of world history The Story of Civilization. *
Quinn Early Quinn Remar Early (born April 13, 1965) is an American former professional football player who was selected by the San Diego Chargers in the third round of the 1988 NFL draft. Early was a wide receiver who played college football for the Uni ...
, football player drafted by
San Diego Chargers The San Diego Chargers were a professional American football team in the National Football League (NFL). The Chargers played in San Diego, California from 1961 until 2016, before relocating back to the Greater Los Angeles area, where the franch ...
(graduated from Great Neck South High School) * Sam Eshaghoff, real estate developer and investor (graduated from Great Neck North High School) *
Percy Faith Percy Faith (April 7, 1908 – February 9, 1976) was a Canadian–American bandleader, orchestrator, composer and conductor, known for his lush arrangements of instrumental ballads and Christmas standards. He is often credited with popularizin ...
(1908–1976), Canadian bandleader, orchestrator, composer and conductor (former resident) * W. C. Fields, comedian and actor (former resident) * F. Scott Fitzgerald, author (former resident), lived in Great Neck in the 1920s, at 6 Gateway Drive in Great Neck Estates. He lived here in a modest house not dissimilar to that of Nick, the protagonist of his novel, ''
The Great Gatsby ''The Great Gatsby'' () is a 1925 novel by American writer F. Scott Fitzgerald. Set in the Jazz Age on Long Island, near New York City, the novel depicts first-person narrator Nick Carraway's interactions with Jay Gatsby, a mysterious mi ...
''. It is said that Fitzgerald modeled West Egg—the fictional town in which Nick lives—after his own Great Neck (specifically Kings Point) and the atmosphere and lifestyle there; and he modeled East Egg after Great Neck's eastern neighbor, Port Washington, or, more specifically, Sands Point. It is possible to see the actual green light referred to in the book, at Stepping Stone Park. The park is located at the top of the Great Neck Peninsula. *
Whitey Ford Edward Charles "Whitey" Ford (October 21, 1928 – October 8, 2020), nicknamed "the Chairman of the Board", was an American professional baseball pitcher who played his entire 16-year Major League Baseball (MLB) career with the New York Yankees. ...
, (1928–2020)
New York Yankees The New York Yankees are an American professional baseball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of the Bronx. The Yankees compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Am ...
pitcher (former resident) * Arnold and Jesse Friedman, subjects of award-winning 2003 documentary '' Capturing the Friedmans'' (former residents) * Julius Genachowski FCC chairman under Obama administration * Harry Gideonse (1901–1985), President of
Brooklyn College Brooklyn College is a public university in Brooklyn in New York City, United States. It is part of the City University of New York system and enrolls nearly 14,000 students on a campus in the Midwood and Flatbush sections of Brooklyn as of fall ...
, and Chancellor of the
New School for Social Research The New School for Social Research (NSSR), previously known as The University in Exile and The New School University, is a graduate-level educational division of The New School in New York City, United States. NSSR enrolls more than 1,000 stud ...
* Bernie Glow (1926 - 1982), first-call trumpet player and played on thousands of recording sessions * Jamie Gorelick,
Clinton Administration Bill Clinton's tenure as the 42nd president of the United States began with his first inauguration on January 20, 1993, and ended on January 20, 2001. Clinton, a Democrat from Arkansas, took office following his victory over Republican in ...
official (former resident) * Morton Gould, concert pianist (former resident) * Joseph Peter Grace Sr., businessman (former resident) * Mark Green, former New York City Public Advocate and mayoral candidate (former resident and high school graduate) * Jim Gurfein (born 1961), tennis player * Betty Haas Pfister (1921–2011), aviator * Ilan Hall, chef and winner of reality television show '' Top Chef'' (former resident) *
Oscar Hammerstein II Oscar Greeley Clendenning Hammerstein II (; July 12, 1895 – August 23, 1960) was an American lyricist, librettist, theatrical producer, and director in musical theater for nearly 40 years. He won eight Tony Awards and two Academy Award ...
, writer, producer and director of musicals (former resident) * Dick Heyward, former deputy Director of UNICEF (1914–2005) (former resident) * Jackie Hoffman, actress, singer and comedian *
Leslie Howard Leslie Howard Steiner (3 April 18931 June 1943) was an English actor, director, producer and writer.Obituary, '' Variety'', 9 June 1943. He wrote many stories and articles for ''The New York Times'', ''The New Yorker'', and '' Vanity Fair'' an ...
(1893–1943), actor, director and producer * Christopher Howes, Yale professor in Cardiology and head of Greenwich Hospital Cardiology (grew up in Great Neck) * Emily Hughes, member of the U.S. figure skating team at the
2006 Winter Olympics The 2006 Winter Olympics (), officially the XX Olympic Winter Games () and also known as Torino 2006, were a winter multi-sport event held from 10 to 26 February in Turin, Italy. This marked the second time Italy had hosted the Winter O ...
* Sarah Hughes, gold medalist in figure skating at the
2002 Winter Olympics The 2002 Winter Olympics, officially the XIX Olympic Winter Games and commonly known as Salt Lake 2002 (; Gosiute dialect, Gosiute Shoshoni: ''Tit'-so-pi 2002''; ; Shoshoni language, Shoshoni: ''Soónkahni 2002''), were an international wi ...
* Marion Hutton, singer/actor (former resident) * Eric Isaacs (born 1957), physicist, director of
Argonne National Laboratory Argonne National Laboratory is a Federally funded research and development centers, federally funded research and development center in Lemont, Illinois, Lemont, Illinois, United States. Founded in 1946, the laboratory is owned by the United Sta ...
* David Kahn, historian, journalist, and writer on subjects of cryptography and military intelligence * Anna Kaplan, Town of North Hempstead Councilwoman (resident) * Michael Karlan, founder of the nation's largest networking and socializing group,
Professionals in the City Professionals in the City (commonly known as PNC) is a socializing and networking private organization based out in Washington, DC, with branches in New York City, Los Angeles, Philadelphia, Baltimore, and Boston. It was founded in 1999 by Mich ...
(former resident) *
Andy Kaufman Andrew Geoffrey Kaufman ( ; January 17, 1949 – May 16, 1984) was an American entertainer and performance artist. He has sometimes been called an "anti-humor, anti-comedian". He disdained telling jokes and engaging in comedy as it was tra ...
(1949–1984), comedian and actor (former resident) * Edward Keonjian (1909–1999), Armenian-American engineer and "father of microelectronics" * Alan King (1927–2004), comedian and actor (former resident) * Andrew Klavan (born 1954), author * Moogy Klingman (1950–2011), musician and songwriter * Josh Kopelman, entrepreneur (former resident) * Dave Kufeld, first Orthodox Jew selected in the NBA draft * Christopher Lambert, actor (born in Great Neck) * Morris S. Levy, television and film producer (resident) * Jack Liebowitz co-founder of
DC Comics DC Comics (originally DC Comics, Inc., and also known simply as DC) is an American comic book publisher owned by DC Entertainment, a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Discovery. DC is an initialism for "Detective Comics", an American comic book seri ...
; lived in the Saddle Rock neighborhood. * Ring Lardner, sports columnist and short story writer (former resident) * Edna Luby (1884–1928), entertainer, lived in Great Neck *
Doug McIntyre Douglas John McIntyre (born November 11, 1957) is the author of '' Frank’s Shadow'', his debut novel, published in July, 2023 and is the former host of ''McIntyre In The Morning'' on KABC 790 Los Angeles. He retired after 22 years in broadcas ...
, author, radio host, producer * The
Marx Brothers The Marx Brothers were an American family comedy act known for their anarchic humor, rapid-fire wordplay, and visual gags. They achieved success in vaudeville, on Broadway, and in 14 motion pictures. The core group consisted of brothers Chi ...
, stars of vaudeville and movies (former residents) * Mimi Michaels, actress * Minae Mizumura, novelist, essayist, critic, based in Tokyo (former resident) * Bobby Muller, Vietnam War veteran and anti-war activist (grew up in Great Neck) *
Louise Nevelson Louise Nevelson (September 23, 1899 – April 17, 1988) was an American sculptor known for her monumental, monochromatic, wooden wall pieces and outdoor sculptures. Born in the Poltava Governorate of the Russian Empire (present-day Kyiv Oblast, ...
, abstract sculptor (former resident) *
Paul Newman Paul Leonard Newman (January 26, 1925 – September 26, 2008) was an American actor, film director, race car driver, philanthropist, and activist. He was the recipient of List of awards and nominations received by Paul Newman, numerous awards ...
, actor (former resident) * Ted Nierenberg (1923–2009), founder of Dansk International Designs, created in the garage of his Great Neck home. * Roy Niederhoffer (born 1966), founder and President of R. G. Niederhoffer Capital Investments, philanthropist, Chairman of the New York City Opera * Eugene O'Neill, playwright (former resident) * Charlotte Blair Parker, playwright; writing under pen name Lottie Blair Parker, remembered most for three plays produced between 1897 and 1906: ''Way Down East'', ''Under Southern Skies'' and ''The Redemption of David Corson'' * Mazi Melesa Pilip, Ethiopian-born American politician * Larry Poons, abstract painter (graduated from Great Neck High School [North]) * Neil Portnow, President of the National Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences (former resident) * Dan Raviv, author and CBS TV and radio correspondent who hosts the ''CBS News Weekend Roundup'' (former resident) * Daniella Rabbani, Yiddish theatre actress * Anne Ramsey (1929–1988), actress, known for such films as ''The Goonies'' (1985) and ''Throw Momma from the Train'' (1987), and was an Academy Award nominee, Golden Globe Award nominee, and a two-time Saturn Award winner * Peter Rennert (born 1958), tennis player * Jimmy Roberts, composer for musical theater as well as a pianist and entertainer (graduate of Great Neck North High School) *Alan Rosen (restaurant owner), Alan Rosen (born 1969), restaurant and bakery owner, and author * Bobby Rosengarden (1924–2007), jazz drummer and bandleader (former resident) * Jordan Rudess, keyboard player for the band Dream Theater (grew up in Great Neck) * Tamir Sapir, Georgian-born billionaire * Roxanne Seeman, songwriter and lyricist (graduate of Great Neck North High School) * George Segal (1934–2021), Academy Award-nominated, Primetime Emmy Award-nominated, and Golden Globe Award-winning actor * David Seidler, screenwriter of "The King's Speech," 2011 Oscar winner; Great Neck H.S. graduate, 1955 * Burt Shavitz, co-founder of Burt's Bees * Sarah Sherman, comedian and featured player on Saturday Night Live * Talia Shire, actress, known for ''The Godfather'' and ''Rocky'' films, and a two-time Academy Award nominee (born in Lake Success) * Jared Siegel (Jared Evan), singer, songwriter, and producer * Elie Siegmeister, composer (resident) * Laurie Simmons, artist, photographer and filmmaker * Harry F. Sinclair, oil industrialist (former resident) * Helen Slater (born 1963), actress * Alfred P. Sloan, president of General Motors Corporation, General Motors (former resident) * Tim Sommer, musician in Hugo Largo and record executive and producer * Seth Swirsky, songwriter and author * Jon Taffer, host and co-executive producer of Spike TV reality television, reality series Bar Rescue * Norma Talmadge, actress (former resident) * Richard Tucker (tenor), Richard Tucker, operatic tenor (former resident) * Louis Uchitelle, journalist with ''The New York Times'' (former resident) * Sim Van der Ryn, architect, researcher and educator, who has applied principles of physical and social ecology to architecture and environmental design. * William Kissam Vanderbilt II, railroad executive and yachtsman (former resident) * Robert Varkonyi, World Series of Poker champion (resident) * Sam Warner (1887–1927), one of four brothers who were co-founders of Warner Bros. * Mordecai Waxman (1917–2002), prominent rabbi in the Conservative Judaism, Conservative movement and of Temple Israel of Great Neck. *Max Weber (artist), Max Weber (1881–1961), one of the first American Cubist painters * Michael H. Weber (born 1978), screenwriter * Mort Weisinger, editor (Batman, Superman (comic book), Superman, Wonder Stories, Thrilling Wonder Stories) * Charlie Williams (pitcher), Charlie Williams, traded by the New York Mets along with cash for Willie Mays; did not make the Great Neck South Senior baseball team as a senior * P. G. Wodehouse (1881–1975), English comic writer (former resident).P. G. Wodehouse, Wodehouse, P. G.]
"Dogs and Cats and Wodehouse; Dogs, Cats and Wodehouse"
''The New York Times'', October 3, 1971. Accessed August 5, 2009. "When I was married 57 years ago, I lived in Bellport, New York, Bellport. Then I moved to Great Neck."
*Bruce Wolosoff (born 1955), composer, pianist and educator (former resident) * Herman Wouk (1915–2019), author (former resident) * Harris Wulfson (1974–2008), composer, instrumentalist and software engineer (graduated from Great Neck South High School) * Chic Young (1901–1973), cartoonist (created ''Blondie (comic strip), Blondie'' in his Great Neck studio in summer of 1930) *Michael Zimmerman (tennis), Michael Zimmerman (born 1970), tennis player


References

{{authority control Great Neck Peninsula Jewish American culture Iranian-American culture in New York (state) Iranian-Jewish culture in the United States Town of North Hempstead, New York Populated places in Nassau County, New York Populated coastal places in New York (state) es:Great Neck Plaza